Wednesday, August 31, 2011

I love to cook. I can spend hours on food blogs, searching for recipes. I love to roam Barnes and Noble with my frozen vanilla frappuccino (with hazelnut), perusing over countless "real" cookbooks and getting ideas for dinner. However, I am a safe cook. What is a safe cook, you ask? I don't mean the type that is sure to use hot-pads and always have a fire extinguisher close...though both things are a great idea. I mean the type that only cooks things that they know will turn out wonderful. Things that my friends/family have tried. Things that are made with only ingredients that will undoubtedly taste delicious together. Desserts that I can pronounce....etc. etc. etc. But. I love to eat new and exotic foods and I admire people so much that are willing to try (and sometimes fail), while trying out new recipes. My roommate is a prime example. She looks for dishes that are just outside her "scope of practice", and just goes for it. Because of her I have had things like shrimp gumbo, 40 clove garlic chicken (made with a whole chicken, mind you), and curried...well everything.

So. This week I decided to try a couple new things. Bright-eyed and hopeful, I carefully read the directions of how to use a charcoal grill. I adore grills. I generally love everything that comes off of them. But, with my grill-master of a boyfriend being thousands of miles away, I realized I had know idea how to start the thing. In hopes of preventing this becomming a "how not to grill" blog, I will spare you the details, but let's just say I have mastered the lighting of the coals, but have yet to learn the art of temperature control. So, I spent that evening eating a doughy pizza, charred black on the bottom.

My next challenge was to try a new ingredient. I found an awesome (looking) recipe with pasta, goat cheese, lemon, asparagus and herbs. Simple enough. I love all those things, except of course the goat cheese, which I haven't tried. How bad could it be?

Bad. Really Bad. Goat cheese is disgusting! So, instead of throwing away a whole dish, I rinsed the pasta and asparagus in hot water and put a "safe" alfredo dressing on it instead. And although my roommate loved it, I could still taste the goat cheese, so...I ate this:

After two failed attempts this week, I was feeling pretty down until I saw this on the counter:

And I remembered seeing this after coming home from work one day:

So, for all you safe cooks out there, don't give up! It's okay to make a disgusting thing or two! It's okay to burn things! It's okay to try new things and not love it! It's okay to experiment! And for all you amazing cooks who try new things and it always turns out amazing...you make me sick.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

1. Drive 5 hours through the night after working all day to meet her in the Lolo forest even if you can only see her for a few hours.

2. Wake up after only an hour nap because she's anxious and wants to play.
3. Make her an egg, bacon, and portabella mushroom breakfast (even if it means burning down the forest to do it).

4. Give her your brand spanking new mountain bike to ride because the old one is uncomfortable.

5. Let her wear your pants because she once again came overdressed for the occasion.
6. Ride with her up a mountain covered in wildflowers, and stop to rest in the shade when she starts to feel nauseated.

7. Whip out some healthy snacks while you wait for her to recover.

8. Amuse her by posing for pictures of the breathtaking view.

9. Tell her you love her hair when it's all sweaty and sticking up in all directions.
10. Give her the old bike when at the top of the mountain she pops the tire on your brand new one (and don't complain for one second as you have to walk the bike all the way down the mountain).
11. Build her a fire to keep her warm while you make grilled salmon with garlic and butter, asparagus, tortellini, more portabellas, grilled corn on the cob, and a grilled onion (yes, all for one meal).

12.Take her to a natural hot spring surrounded by evergreens and soak in the warmth while watching the stars.
13. Give her your wool socks to keep her feet warm after you get out of the pool.
14. Make her hot chocolate and popcorn over the camp stove.

15. Keep her nice and toasty with only the warmest of blankets.
16. Clean up the whole mess because she has to make it back to catch her flight.
17. Leave just in time to make in back to work in the morning.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

So...a couple months ago, I was relaxing at home, enjoying my day off, listening to music, when I came across this song. I thought I had discovered it....only to find out it's actually pretty famous, ah well. Anyway, in my boredom I decided to make a music video for Max...and as you will be able to tell...it didn't turn out how I planned. I want to do SO much more explaining, but I'll just let you experience it for yourself. Now, before you push play, just know that this is extremely embarrassing. The ONLY reason I am posting this on my blog is because the file is too big to e-mail, text, or get to Max in any other way...and it has taken me two months to finally figure out I could do it this way. Just be warned, these movies are for a mature audience only. Viewer discretion is advised. Enjoy.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I escaped to Texas for a couple reasons, the main one being; it doesn't get cold-ever. Now, there are a couple days in the "winter" that get chilly, but never cold. I'm talking Idaho cold; snow up to the windows, frostbit fingertips, nose hair freezing, take your breath away, cold. Well, after spending about a year in Texas, I have actually come to miss (yes, miss) the cold. Most of the time I enjoy the heat, but on days like today when it's over 100 degrees and I can't make it to my car without sweat soaking through my shirt, my make-up starts to slide off my face, my hair frizzes out (no matter how much anti-frizz product I use), my bare feet get blistered from the smoldering cement on my attempt to check the mail without footwear, and the freckles on my face and arms start to darken within minutes of being outside, I start to long for autumn.

I want to sip hot cider and cuddle up under a fleece blanket with a good book. I want to wear fluffy socks. I want to go running in the rain, instead of on a treadmill. I want to get in my car and just slightly crack the windows for fresh air, instead of blasting the air conditioning like my life depended on it. I want to wear the awesome trooper boots I bought, instead of flip-flops.

The grass is always greener on the other side, right? I just wish the grass was greener. In the meantime I'll just make good use of the summer...but I still wish I could wear my boots...